Commonwealth leaders focus on post-2015 development in summit

Commonwealth leaders on Sunday committed to work on post-2015 development including debt financing and climate change during a conference that was marred by criticism over Sri Lanka's human rights record.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was preceded by three other conferences. The Commonwealth People's Forum and Youth Forum were successfully completed this week, with Sri Lanka agreeing to host a secretariat to represent 1.2 billion young people who are part of the organization's 53 members.

The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) saw a record attendance by 95 countries, including the largest delegation from a non- Commonwealth nation belonging to China. The CBF has outlined a target of attracting 2 billion U.S. dollars in investment to Sri Lanka.

In addition to the 100 members of the Chinese delegation, 42 other Chinese companies participated in a special trade and investment exhibition held on the sidelines of the CHOGM.

"We thank the partnership of the Chinese government, and the business organizations, in our development projects. Bilateral trade between our two countries has been increasing over the years to record 2.6 billion in 2012," Sri Lanka's Trade Minister Rishad Bathiudeen told reporters.

Three Chinese companies also signed deals worth over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars with Sri Lanka during the CHOGM week.

The China Communications Construction Company signed preliminary agreements to build a port city redefining the shoreline of capital Colombo at an investment of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars.

The port city project, which aims to reclaim a 230 hectare site from the sea to build a mini-city that is expected to include a Formula 1 racetrack, is projected by the Sri Lankan government to attract 15 billion U.S. dollars in investment for the country.

A second agreement will be signed between Sri Lanka's Board of Investment (BOI) and Hong Kong-based Evic International Engineering Co and Nice View Investment Co. for a 250 million U.S. dollar multi-development project that will also include a block of apartments in Colombo.

"Sri Lanka has already reached 1 billion U.S. dollars in investment so far this year. With the signing of these deals, Sri Lanka meets its goal of attracting 2 billion U.S. dollars in foreign direct investment for 2013," said Sri Lanka's Investment Promotion Minister Abeywardana.

The China Harbor Engineering Company signed agreements to build two hotels and a golf course with an investment exceeding 500 million U.S. dollars during the CBF.

The contracts come on the heels of many other projects completed with Chinese funding. In fact much of the infrastructure for the CHOGM was provided by China, including a 292 million U.S. dollar highway connecting Sri Lanka's international airport with the capital that whisked thousands of delegates.

The venues for the main sessions of the CHOGM and the opening ceremony were also built or refurbished on funding from China.

During the CHOGM, which kicked off on Friday, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave a defiant message, insisting that the Commonwealth should not become a punitive body. A response largely motivated by the controversial run-up to the summit.

Bombarded with questions over the country's lackluster human rights record, including alleged killing of civilians during the last phase of the war that ended in 2009, Rajapaksa maintained his administration needs more time to achieve reconciliation but when pressed refused to give a timeline.

Talking to reporters at the end of summit, Rajapaksa retained his defiant stance, maintaining that the wounds of three decades of conflict cannot be healed in a prescribed time.

He reiterated the internal mechanisms set up by Sri Lanka to address accusations of war crimes that include a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, a special commission to investigate into disappearances, and a Parliament Select Committee to resolve power devolution mechanisms.

"We have already started the process," he said when asked how much more time Sri Lanka would need to put its human rights record in order.

"We need time. We have to slowly build this, we have to change the minds and thinking of the people, not only in the north but also the south. They are all my people. I have to look after them. It is my responsibility so I will do it. But you can't give a timeline that's very unfair."

In the run-up to the meeting, the prime ministers of Canada, India and Mauritius pulled out of attending the CHOGM.

Mauritius even lost out the chance to host the CHOGM in 2015 due to the absence of its prime minister, and the next summit was accepted by Malta on Sunday.

Rajapaksa has staunchly maintained that his country has " nothing to hide" and is willing to investigate any allegations as long as they are presented within the internal mechanisms established by his government.

British Prime Minister David Cameron Saturday issued an ultimatum to Sri Lanka saying that if they do not deal with human rights issues by March 2014, the United Kingdom will work with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to push for an international investigation into alleged war crimes.

"Pressure won't do anything... It's much better to wait rather than demand or dictate," Rajapaksa said in response.

Sri Lanka has already had two resolutions passed on it in 2012 and 2013 by the UNHRC for failing to address accountability issues.

The CHOGM was also marred by international media being blocked from traveling to the north despite an open invitation by the Sri Lankan government and military, stopping a protest by the relatives of people who disappeared during the war.

During CHOGM sessions under the theme "Growth with equity; Inclusive development," the member states held discussions on many topics. One of the key points was agreeing to assist small states to negotiate with international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on debt financing and accessing concessional funding for middle income countries.

The bloc also approved measures for small states to participate in the post-2015 development framework that is being formulated by the Commonwealth.

"Heads affirmed that the post-2015 development agenda should re- enforce the international community's commitment to poverty eradication and sustainable development. They endorsed the intergovernmental process to be launched at the beginning of the sixty-ninth session of the UN General Assembly to develop and agree on a post-2015 Development Agenda with poverty eradication as its central imperative," the statement released at the end of the CHOGM said.

Access to climate financing, dealing with climate change, closer engagement with G5 and G20 organizations were also discussed at the 22nd chapter of the CHOGM.

Sri Lanka will continue to be the chair of the Commonwealth until the end of 2014 when it will be taken over by Malta, host of the next CHOGM in 2015.